109: The journey home is fraught with turmoil, and the path is blocked by the memory of the deceased.

Inside the stone chamber, Medusa, having merged with the heavenly serpent emperor's reverse scale, saw her Soul Power surge to the Five-Star Dou Zong level.

A mysterious luster, interwoven with seven colors and dark gold, flowed around her body, radiating even greater majesty than before.

Her gaze, like lightning, swept towards a seemingly intact wall on one side of the stone chamber.

Fragmented memories acquired during the reverse scale Fusion gave her a vague understanding of the structure of this Ancient Ruins.

She extended her jade hand, and faint seven-colored runes flickered at her fingertips.

A condensed Soul beam shot out, precisely striking an inconspicuous indentation on the wall.

"Buzz..."

The wall emitted a low rumble, then rippled like water, slowly sliding open to both sides, revealing a deep, downward stone staircase that led to an unknown destination.

An even more ancient and dangerous aura emanated from the depths of the staircase.

"Let's go."

Medusa didn't hesitate, stepping in first.

With her strength restored and greatly increased, her queenly confidence and decisiveness were even more pronounced.

Li Ao followed closely, his Dou Qi having recovered by sixty to seventy percent.

His Bronze Battle Body remained dormant, and the Annihilation Rule slowly circulated in his Sea of Consciousness, maintaining constant vigilance.

The stone steps wound downwards, and the sides were no longer rough rock walls but smooth, polished stone slabs engraved with more ancient serpent totems and unknown characters.

A heavy pressure permeated the air, as if they were walking inside the mausoleum of some ancient titan.

They didn't encounter any danger along the way; it seemed all protective mechanisms had either failed over the long years or been triggered by previous intruders.

After descending for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the path suddenly opened up, revealing a massive underground plaza.

At the center of the plaza was not a coffin or a Treasure Trove as expected, but an incredibly vast and intricately complex ancient spatial teleportation Formation!

The Formation was constructed from countless metals and crystals Li Ao had never seen, outlining incredibly profound trajectories.

Although covered in dust, several large spatial crystals at its core still emitted a faint yet stable glow, indicating it was not completely damaged!

"This is... a teleportation Formation to leave this place!" Li Ao's eyes burst with pleasant surprise.

He hadn't expected such a well-preserved ancient Formation to be hidden deep within this Ancient Ruins!

Medusa walked to the edge of the Formation, carefully sensing it for a moment, then nodded: "The Formation's core energy still exists.

Although I don't know where it leads, it's better than being trapped here, or returning the way we came to face the Nine-Headed Celestial Snake Remnant Soul and the Hall of Souls' pursuers."

She looked at Li Ao: "Can it be activated?"

Li Ao stepped forward, his Soul Power meticulously scanning the entire Formation structure.

This ancient Formation was completely different from the spatial wormholes he knew, far more complex and ancient, but its basic principles were similar.

He mused: "The main body of the Formation is intact, but some auxiliary runes are worn, and the energy circuits are a bit sluggish.

Give me some time, and I should be able to barely activate a single-direction teleportation, but the destination... cannot be determined.

It might still be somewhere in the Savage Ancient Domain, or it might teleport us to another corner of the continent."

"No matter, as long as we leave this dangerous core area," Medusa said decisively.

Without further delay, Li Ao immediately began working.

Using his powerful Soul Power and profound understanding of energy Law, he carefully sorted out the stagnant energy in the Formation and repaired the worn rune nodes.

This process was extremely taxing on his mind; the slightest mistake could lead to teleportation failure or even spatial collapse.

Medusa stood guard nearby, her powerful Soul pressure spreading out, both protecting him and carefully sensing the Formation's fluctuations.

She tried to determine the general direction of the teleportation based on the vague memories obtained from her Bloodline.

Several hours later, sweat beaded on Li Ao's forehead, but a smile appeared on his face.

"It's done!"

He let out a low shout, forming the last hand seal, and a vast Dou Qi mixed with a trace of Annihilation Rule intent surged into the Formation's core!

"Buzz—!!!"

The entire ancient teleportation Formation suddenly ignited with dazzling silver-white light!

Countless profound runes flickered and flowed like stars, and a massive spatial fluctuation erupted, illuminating the entire underground plaza as if it were daytime!

"Stand in the center of the Formation!" Li Ao pulled Medusa, and the two quickly stepped into the brightest part of the light.

A strong spatial tearing sensation came, and the scene before them began to twist and stretch...

Just as the teleportation was about to complete, Li Ao suddenly turned his head, looking towards the entrance of the stone staircase, his eyes suddenly chilling!

He sensed a familiar, cold, and powerful aura rushing towards them at an extremely fast speed!

It was someone from the Hall of Souls! Had they also found this place?!

However, it was too late to react.

The silver light completely swallowed their figures, the spatial fluctuations reached their Peak, and then suddenly collapsed and dissipated.

The underground plaza returned to silence, only the light of the ancient teleportation Formation slowly dimmed, as if nothing had happened...

Almost the very next second after Li Ao and Medusa teleported away, a figure enveloped in thick black mist, like a ghost, rushed into the underground plaza!

It was Elder Mu Gu, the Six-Star Dou Zong Elder from the Hall of Souls who had previously clashed with Li Ao above the swamp and was startled away by the Annihilation Domain!

(Note: This is a character with the same name, for ease of identification.)

He looked at the still-unsettled spatial ripples in the center of the plaza and the clearly recently activated teleportation Formation, his face instantly turning ashen, his eyes filled with fury and unwillingness!

"They escaped again!!" Elder Mu Gu let out a low roar, his withered palm slamming down, and a ghostly palm print shattered a nearby stone pillar!

"Damn it! That kid not only possesses strange flames and bizarre Law, but he can also repair such ancient Formations?!"

Behind him, several Hall of Souls Protectors also arrived, panting.

Seeing the empty plaza and the lingering spatial fluctuations, they all looked horrified.

"Elder, what do we do now?" one Protector asked cautiously.

Elder Mu Gu's chest heaved violently as he stared intently at the teleportation Formation, his gaze shifting sinisterly.

He tried to probe the Formation with his Soul Power, hoping to trace the teleportation coordinates, but found the Formation's structure extremely ancient and complex.

With his ability, he couldn't analyze it in a short time, let alone activate it.

"Investigate! Investigate for this Venerable!" He suddenly turned, his voice like the cold of the Nine Nether, "Use all forces to investigate if there have been any abnormal spatial fluctuations recently in Zhongzhou and other parts of the continent!

Focus on young men with strange flames, powerful Soul Power, and who might be accompanied by a powerful snake-type Soul body!"

"Also, immediately report the discovery of this Ancient Ruins and the possibility of that kid possessing the ability to repair ancient Formations to the Heavenly Venerate!

This child... must not be allowed to live! The secrets hidden within him are likely a huge threat to our Hall of Souls' great plan!"

"Yes!" The Protectors responded with solemnity.

Elder Mu Gu took one last look at the silent teleportation Formation, flicked his sleeve, transformed into black mist, and disappeared into the stone staircase entrance, carrying a heart full of rage and killing intent.

He knew that this mission had completely failed.

Not only had he lost several elites, but the blood essence demon fruit was also gone, and the target had escaped right under his nose using an ancient Formation.

The Heavenly Venerate's wrath would not be easily endured.

"Li Ao... no matter where you flee, to the ends of the earth, the Hall of Souls will extract your Soul and refine your fire to vent this hatred!"

...Meanwhile, in a distant, unknown land.

Above a desolate mountain range, space twisted violently like water, then suddenly tore open, and two figures were somewhat awkwardly "spit" out.

They were Li Ao and Medusa, who had left the Savage Ancient Domain via the ancient teleportation Formation.

Li Ao stabilized himself and quickly scanned his surroundings.

Below were continuous loess mountains, sparse vegetation, and the air was filled with a dry and desolate aura.

The energy concentration was far less than in Zhongzhou, but it was not completely devoid of life.

"This place... seems to no longer be the Savage Ancient Domain," Li Ao judged, sensing the vastly different environment around him.

Medusa floated beside him, her Soul body's radiance contained, and the Five-Star Dou Zong Soul pressure quietly permeated, sensing the flow of energy and subtle Laws between heaven and earth.

A moment later, her purple eyes flickered, and she pointed in one direction: "Over there, there are faint spatial node fluctuations, and... the aura of human habitation.

It's about ten thousand li from here."

Ten thousand li, for them now, was no longer an insurmountable distance.

Li Ao nodded, his gaze deepening: "First, let's find a populated area, determine our location, and then plan our next steps."

He glanced at Medusa's solid, powerful, yet still Soul body state, and said in a deep voice: "The most urgent task is to quickly find suitable Materials for Your Majesty to refine the 'heavenly soul merging blood pill' and reshape your Physical Body!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of fervor flashed in Medusa's purple eyes.

Although the heavenly serpent emperor's reverse scale had caused her Soul Power to surge and her Bloodline to sublimate, only by reshaping her Physical Body could she truly unleash her full power, return to her Peak, and even... surpass her past self!

"Let's go."

The two no longer delayed, transforming into two streaks of light, and sped towards the direction Medusa had sensed.

A new journey had begun.

And the shifting winds of Zhongzhou, along with the vast net cast by the Hall of Souls, awaited their return.